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LittleCreepy_ t1_j5uweyj wrote

Well, trying to answer from a different point of view: Vaccines have to help the body kill the intruder, while leaving the patient intakt.

A virus can be understood to undergo different developmental stages. Much like an insekt goes from egg to larvar to adult, a virus goes from virus particle, floating alone and, debatably, dead in their environment, to integrating itself into the host. It quite litteraly overlapes with their victim, the cell becomes, to an extend, two individuals rolled into one. Targetting one while keeping the other is quite the challenge.

I hope I magaged to express myself clearly enough to be understood. I am still trying to put it into words in my native language, so I hope I didnt sow too much confusion. I am open to questions.

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Manuvelo t1_j5wf005 wrote

Damn, now everytime I feel alone I'll remember my Herpes virus is sharing its existence with me.

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LittleCreepy_ t1_j5xzvnb wrote

Jup. We are an ecosystem, with things living not just around and on top of us, but also inside of the very individuals that make up the hive from which the WE/I emerge. There is no seperating line between us and the environment. And if THAT is not freaking you out, I dont know what will.

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Lindseydanger007 t1_j61rsk4 wrote

>irus. You can actually get bit and then go get the vaccine and be saved. That’s part of the reason we can be vaccinated for it. A primed immune system can still have time to react and clear

your explanation was very clear - you did great.

could we kill HIV with radiation in the same way we kill cancer cells? Why isn't that on option - other than obviously radiation isn't ideal in any situation. But would it hypothetically be an option?

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LittleCreepy_ t1_j65cwo2 wrote

Not that I know. Radiation would disproportionatly affekt the genes of the host, rarely getting the genes of the host that both use and very rarely destroying the genes of the virus. The hallmark of a good medizin is that it only targets the parts it should. Radiation is really really reaaaly bad at selectivity.

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